Parisian heavy progressive rockers Abrahma have a new lineup and a new record in the making under the working title In Time for the Last Rays of Light. Last we heard from the band, they had posted a cover of Nazareth‘s “Witchdoctor Woman” intended to be used as part of the Underdogma Records tribute compilation Go Down Fighting that has yet to materialize. Not to say it won’t; just hasn’t yet. Their last album, Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird (review here), came out in Spring 2015, and noting some personal setbacks, they’ve undergone this reworking around guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Sebastien Bismuth and guitarist Nicolas Heller, parting ways with brothers Guillaume Colin (bass) and Benjamin Colin (drums), and bringing in new bassist Guillaume Theoden and drummer Sacha Viken to move forward.

Moving forward, as it happens, is exactly what Abrahma did with Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird, the somewhat gruesome title doing little to convey the many textures on hand throughout, unless I suppose one counts the visceral nature of their origins — the album was nothing if not from the guts. It was a considerable leap from 2012’s Through the Dusty Paths of Our Lives (review here), and took a moodier approach overall while holding firm to the underlying current of songwriting that established such potential on the debut.

Stay tuned obviously for more updates from Abrahma and on In Time for the Last Rays of Light, or whatever it might finally wind up being called, as we shift into winter and ahead into 2017. These guys are always worth keeping tabs on.

Bismuth sent along the following brief word:

Abrahma welcomes two new members, Guillaume Theoden on bass and Sacha Viken on drums. We wish lots of luck to the Colin brothers for their killer new project!!

We are currently working on the new album which will go deeper in the soundscape we started to explore on Reflections in the Bowels of a Bird.

Abrahma, “Witchdoctor Woman” (Nazareth cover)

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2016 at 6:42 am and is filed under Whathaveyou.
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